2023 is set to be a bumper year for new electric cars. The market is set to be flooded with new EVs like never before, and there’s plenty to look forward to in the zero-emissions market. We’ve got the brand new cars coming from established manufacturers, previewed and teased by exciting concept cars: think Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lotus Eletre and Rolls-Royce Spectre.
Then there are the key upgrades to existing mainstream models that’ll bring electric capability to ordinary family car buyers, like the Volkswagen ID.3 and Peugeot e-308. Fresh from its triumph at the European Car of the Year awards comes the Jeep Avenger, too.
Meanwhile, new entries to the market from promising electric car startups, like the Fisker Ocean and Lucid Air are finally going to make it to our shores. And against this backdrop, the influx of highly capable, good-value EVs from China will continue with the arrival of the BYD Atto, Aiways U5 and Nio ET5. Let’s hope there’s enough charging points for them all.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the electric vehicles we’re most excited about seeing and driving this year. So, without further ado, dive in, and find out what’s about to hit the market.
The most exciting EVs coming in 2023:
- Abarth 500e
- Audi A6 E-Tron
- BMW i5
- BYD Atto 3
- Fisker Ocean
- Honda E:NY1
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Hyundai Ioniq 7/Kia EV9
- Jeep Avenger
- Kia EV4
- Lotus Eletre
- Lucid Air
- Mercedes-Benz EQE/EQS SUV
- Nio ET5
- Peugeot e-308/Vauxhall Astra Electric
- Polestar 3
- Rolls-Royce Spectre
- Volkswagen ID.7
- Volvo EX30
Abarth 500e
Fiat’s smart little 500e gets some extra spunk with the arrival of this Abarth-badged variant. The headline figure is the extra 35bhp the electric motor develops, which brings the 0-62mph time down to seven seconds. The 500e will also get a sound generator – basically a speaker mounted to the underside of the car – intended to replicate the aural experience of its internal combustion-engined stablemate, the 695. But there is a downside: electric driving range drops to just 155 miles as a result of the motor’s greater power output, and that’ll be even less in the real world. Rivals will include sporty small electric cars like the Mini Cooper S E.
Read our preview of the Abarth 500e
Audi A6 E-Tron
Audi teased the new A6 E-Tron with a concept car last year, and as is to be expected, the production version will be somewhat less dramatic. However, the fact that the concept boasted a 100kWh battery gives us an idea of the sort of range the A6 E-Tron might pack (that figure would put it in excess of 400 miles). Expect both saloon and estate bodyshells, and a 0-62mph time of less than four seconds for the most powerful versions.
Read our preview of the Audi A6 E-Tron
BMW i5
Of course, at the same time as Audi launches the A6 E-Tron, its German arch-rivals from just down the road in Munich will be releasing one of that car’s biggest rivals: the BMW i5. This electric version of the next 5 Series will be one of BMW’s most important new models for a long time, and it’ll spearhead the company’s electric saloon car range as the company’s combustion-engined petrol and diesel cars are gradually phased out. Will the i5 offer the same magic that’s made us love the 5 Series since time immemorial? That’s the big question.
BYD Atto 3
The Atto 3 is a fascinating new entrant into the electric car market; its lithium-iron phosphate battery should be safer, longer-lasting, less resource-intensive and cheaper to make than the lithium-ion batteries used in most EVs these days. On top of this clever new battery sits a smart-looking crossover body about the size of a Kia Niro EV or Renault Megane E-Tech, and its £33,000-ish pricetag will see it undercut the Volkswagen ID.3.
Read our exclusive First Drive of the BYD Atto 3
Fisker Ocean
The long-awaited Ocean SUV from Fisker is set to arrive in Britain toward the latter part of the year, and go head to head with midsize electric SUVs such as the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Skoda Enyaq. Expect a range of around 350 miles, which means it’ll go a long way for its expected price of around £35,000. Certainly one to watch, then, and a car that may well give Tesla and the legacy electric car makers something to think about.
Honda E:NY1
We don’t know much about the E:NY1 just yet, including what it looks like, but as a small electric SUV with a relatively dinky battery, it should hold true to Honda’s ideology of keeping battery sizes (and therefore weights) small in order to improve battery life and energy efficiency. Expect styling not dissimilar to that of the Honda HR-V when it is eventually revealed.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Nothing else on the road looks like it, and that means you’ll probably either love or hate the Ioniq 6. But write it off for its odd uber-coupe looks at your peril, because beneath its shamelessly droopy profile sits an electric car of real talent. The Ioniq 6 boasts the same BEV architecture as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 – both cars we’re big fans of here at CarGurus – and that means fast charging at up to 350kW, long ranges of up to 379 miles, and excellent performance, with as much as 329bhp available in faster versions.
Read our preview of the Hyundai Ioniq 6
Hyundai Ioniq 7/Kia EV9
Meanwhile, Hyundai will be expanding its electric range upwards, too, with the arrival of its first seven-seat electric SUV; there’ll also be a Kia version based around the same platform and powertrain called the EV9. Both cars are expected to get the larger of the company’s two battery packs, rated at 77kWh, and will allow extremely fast charging of up to 350kW, which should enable the battery to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes if the charger is fast enough.
Read our preview of the Kia EV9
Jeep Avenger
Jeep’s product line-up has been average at best in the UK for some time, but the Avenger looks like it’s going to be a turning point for the brand. This small battery-powered SUV is based on the same platform as the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka-e, but its chunky styling, smart interior, and excellent ride and handling balance mean it makes the best of an already very good setup. So much so, in fact, that the Avenger has already been voted the European Car of the Year for 2023.
Read our review of the Jeep Avenger
Kia EV4
Like the Kia EV6, but can’t quite afford one? Well, there’s good news, because it’s soon to be joined in Kia’s range by the smaller EV4. Think of this as Kia’s electric Sportage, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what it’s about. It might not get the full top whack of Kia’s 800V charging – very few details have been revealed as yet, including official images – but it is likely to get the same choice of batteries, and that should mean the more expensive 77kWh model should manage a range of more than 300 miles. Kia’s particularly brilliant warranty will be a big draw, too.
Lotus Eletre
Famous for its sports cars, Lotus will dive head-first into the world of luxury SUVs with the Eletre. With prices starting at £89,500, entry-level models will hope to lure buyers away from cars like the Audi E-Tron SQ8 and BMW iX. The range will then stretch right up to the £120,000 Eletre R, which is clearly targeted at top-end electric SUVs like the Tesla Model X Plaid and Mercedes EQS SUV. Lotus is promising a driving experience which does the badge justice, and with 373 miles of range from a single charge, it should go far enough on a charge to justify its price.
Lucid Air
Will they? Won’t they? After dropping several big hints that it was going to build right-hand-drive Airs for the UK market earlier in 2022, we’ve heard no official confirmation yet from Lucid that that is indeed part of its plans. But with sales in Europe already underway, there’s a good chance the UK is next. Were Lucid to announce it was bringing the Air here, it’s expected first deliveries would take place toward the end of 2023. Rivals will include everything from the Tesla Model S, BMW i7 and Porsche Taycan.
Mercedes-Benz EQE/EQS SUV
Hot on the heels of the EQE and EQS saloons come their SUV equivalents, which follow a very similar blueprint: scaling up the powertrains and interior experiences offered by the saloons into a more zeitgeisty SUV form. Expect plush ride quality from air suspension on both models, with the EQS in particular offering extremely luxurious surroundings, as you’d expect given that prices start at a cool £129,170.
Read our preview of the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV
Nio ET5
Here comes China’s answer to the Tesla Model 3: it’s the Nio ET5. This compact saloon is primed to take a chunk out of Tesla’s mid-liner, and with battery sizes ranging up to 150kWh, which would mean a staggering range of 620 miles – yes, you read that right – it looks like it could well do just that, putting it among the best EVs for providing the longest range. Range anxiety? What range anxiety? The dual-motor powertrain will afford it all-wheel drive and a whopping 483bhp, too, which will mean a 0-62mph time of just 4.3 seconds.
Peugeot e-308/Vauxhall Astra Electric
These two cars might come from different manufacturers, but beneath the skin they’re one and the same, sharing a platform, battery and powertrain. Expect greater style and flair from the Peugeot, with comfort and usability the priorities for the Vauxhall. Both will offer conventional five-door hatchback bodies to buyers who just want an electric version of the family hatchbacks they’re already used to. And both will – interestingly – offer estate bodyshells, too, which will pose an interesting challenge to the MG 5 EV.
Read our review of the Peugeot 308
Read our review of the Vauxhall Astra
Polestar 3
Off the back of the success of the Polestar 2, the Sino-Swedish company is launching its next electric SUV, the 3. It’ll get curvier styling than the 2, with plenty of influence from the company’s Precept concept car, although there’ll still be a few Volvo-esque styling cues mixed in, too. Prices will start from a not-inconsiderable £85,500, putting it in Jaguar I-Pace territory, and for that, the 3 will offer 510bhp and a range of up to 379 miles.
Read our preview of the Polestar 3
Rolls-Royce Spectre
If ever there was a marque that was well suited to the smoothness and silence of an electric motor, Rolls-Royce is it. And while it’s taken a while for the Goodwood concern to come up with an EV of its own, it’s finally done it. The Spectre will be here in the latter part of the year, boasting 577bhp and a 120kWh battery. Its range won’t be quite as spectacular as you might hope, however, at 323 miles, likely down to the new model’s immense weight. Expect to have to pay more than £250,000 to get behind the wheel. Just as well you’ll get nice low electric car running costs, then.
Volkswagen ID.7
Here it is, then, Volkswagen’s first all-electric saloon car, the VW ID.7. It’s based on the same MEB platform as VW’s other ID models such as the ID.3 and the retro ID.Buzz, so like many of them, expect it to be offered with both single-motor rear-wheel drive and twin-motor four-wheel drive forms. Expect lots of ID.3-esque design cues (and hopefully an improved touchscreen infotainment system), and both saloon and hatchback bodies. In other words, this will be Volkswagen’s electric Passat. The big question is whether it’ll be able to ape the strong sense of comfort and practicality that have always been hallmarks of VW’s big saloon.
Read our preview of the Volkswagen ID.7
Volvo EX30
Not many details of the new EX30 have come to light just yet, but we do know it’ll be a small SUV intended for mainly urban use that’ll sit below the XC40 in Volvo’s range, providing the brand with a new entry point. Expect styling cues to be shared with the recently revealed EX90, and a plush interior that exudes Volvo’s trademark sense of quality and wellbeing.